Articles (1 - 20 of 280)

It is broadly correct to say 1200 asylum seekers died at sea under Labor. Globally and in our region, however, more asylum seekers than ever are leaving their country by boat.

Pictures drawn by children detained on Christmas Island, given to the Australian Human Rights Commission as part of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014.
Australian Human Rights Commission Flickr Page23 February 2015

At least 300 people are thought to have died in the Mediterranean as yet another group of migrants attempted the dangerous crossing to Europe. This latest incident shows that Europe has still not worked…

A drawing by a six-year-old child detained at the Christmas Island detention centre.
AAP/AHRC11 February 2015

The federal government has tabled the long-awaited Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) report into children held in immigration detention. The report, which recommends a royal commission be held…

Protests in Australia over the potential execution of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan will gain little traction in Indonesia.
AAP/Mick Tsikas4 February 2015

It now seems almost inevitable that two Australians, drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, will soon be executed in Indonesia. If this does happen, there will be public protests in Australia…

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has so far continued in the ‘bad cop’, border protector image of his predecessor, Scott Morrison.
AAP/Lukas Coch3 February 2015

2014 was the year of triumphant press conferences at which the Abbott government affirmed its determination to “stop the boats” and outlined its success at doing so. However, 2015 is likely to be much…

The High Court decision on 157 asylum seekers detained at sea in 2014 – as well as recent legislative changes – raises concerns about the rights of asylum seekers.
AAP/Lukas Coch28 January 2015

On Wednesday, the High Court handed down an important judgment on the legality of the interception of asylum seeker vessels and the detention of those onboard on the high seas. It ruled, by a 4:3 majority…

Michael Pezzullo is spearheading far-reaching changes in doctrine and organisation of Australian immigration and border security.
AAP/Stefan Postles22 January 2015

The Australian government is in the throes of a major recasting of traditional immigration and border security doctrines and institutions. The changes are being led by the incoming secretary of the newly…

Australians should demand a more representative dialogue on matters of refugee protection, inclusive of asylum seekers' voices.
AAP/Refugee Action Coalition21 January 2015

Australia has long shown disregard for international conventions surrounding refugees. It labels asylum seekers in detention on Manus Island as “transferees”, also frequently referring to those who arrive…

Detained asylum seekers on Manus Island are searching for ways to communicate and be heard beyond the faceless inhumane bureaucracy.
AAP/Refugee Action Collective19 January 2015

Reports continue to emanate of escalating hunger strikes among asylum seekers at the Manus Island detention centre in protest at the length of their detention and their conditions. The Australian government…

More and more children are compelled to leave their homelands – with or without their families – in search of asylum.
EPA/Hotli Simanjuntak5 January 2015

When Karim (not his real name) was a teenager, he travelled from Myanmar to Indonesia as an asylum seeker. Stranded in Java without money and friends, he slept in a mosque for a number of weeks until an…

Scott Morrison has repeatedly characterised the Asylum Seeker Code of Behaviour as being necessary to protect the Australian community.
AAP/Alan Porritt10 December 2014

Recently, it was reported that asylum seekers are “staying indoors”, fearful of breaching the Asylum Seeker Code of Behaviour. All unauthorised maritime arrivals (UMAs) who are granted bridging visas are…

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison now has unchecked power to decide the outcomes that will affect the lives of asylum seekers and refugees coming to Australia. Previous immigration ministers have had…

Despite what the protesters' sign says, it remains to be seen how regional Australia accepts refugees under the proposed safe haven enterprise visa scheme.
AAP/Newzulu/Lesly Lotha2 December 2014

Australia has long had an obsession with migration law and national boundaries. Currently, it appears in the Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill…

Australia has the second-highest number of immigrants – in relative terms – among OECD countries, according to a new report.
AAP/Dan Peled1 December 2014

Immigration is a political hot potato. On the day the OECD published its latest annual survey of global migration, Swiss voters rejected a referendum to reduce annual migration numbers. A few days earlier…

Australia announced this week that asylum seekers who are waiting in Indonesia to be resettled in Australia will not be accepted.
EPA/Hotli Simanjuntak21 November 2014

There was a collective shrug in Indonesia over Australia’s decision to stop accepting refugees who are waiting in Indonesia to be resettled in Australia. Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison…

Nauru’s culture of hospitality once applied to all, including the asylum seekers who arrived in 2001 to a dance of welcome, a tradition depicted on this stamp. Refugee resettlement has changed all that.
20 November 2014

Refugees settled on Nauru woke on Monday to find an ominous letter, signed “Youth of Republic of Nauru”, had been delivered overnight. Copies had been left at shops, homes, workplaces employing refugees…

A ban on resettling asylum seekers from Indonesia calls into question the rationale of Australia’s resettlement program.
EPA/Hotli Simanijuntak19 November 2014

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has announced that asylum seekers residing in Indonesia while awaiting protection will no longer obtain resettlement in Australia. This move puts into serious question…